Self-adjusting bathing suit



April 24, 1951 B. J. CHRISTENSEN SELF ADJUSTING BATHING SUIT Filed Se t. 20, 1948 INVENTOR. Befl'e J: Chm'sfensen Patented Apr. 24, 1951 SELF-ADJUSTING BATI-IING SUIT Bette J. Christensen, Portland, reg., assignor to J antzen Knitting Mills Inc., Portland, -0reg., a corporation of Nevada Application September 20, 1948, Serial No. 50,218

along line '4--4 of Fig, 1.

Claims.

tomary to provide long and short variations, since the bathing suit is usually provided in knitted goods or other stretchable material, it being presumed that the elasticity of the goods will cause the bathing suit to fit perfectly when stretched by along-waisted wearer or when contracted to fit a short-waisted wearer. Unfortunately, knitted goods or other elastic material ordinarily fabricated into bathing suits do not possess the same degree of elasticity in both directions, and it is common practiceto arrange the ribbing of the material vertically due to the necessity for accommodating a Wide range of variances in girth of the wearer. Although a bathing suit so constructed has some elasticity in the vertical direction, it is not so pronounced as in the horizontal direction, and the degree of elasticity in the vertical direction is reduced proportionately as the material is stretched horizontally to accommodate bodies of large girth. The result of the'foregoing is that a long-waisted wearer is usually forced to wear a bathing suit of a size larger than desirable, with the result that the bathing suit hangs loosely in unsightly folds, or to wear a bathing suit which binds and chafes. An object of the present invention is to provide a bathing suit which may yield comfortably to accommodate a long-waisted wearer without .causing distortion of visible portions of the bathing suit. v

A further object of the present invention is to provide a bathing suit which may be worn by persons of large abdominal girth without causing the front portion of the bathing suit to assume a distorted and wrinkled appearance due to strains at the waistline.

""The objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from inlarged scale taken substantially along line 33' of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken substantially A preferred form of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the invention being embodied in :a bathing suit for women. In the illustrated embodiment the suit comprises three main portions, namely a front panel I0, a rear panel II, and an intermediate part I2 lying between the front and rear panels. The rear panel terminates along it upper edge in any suitable or desired configuration, in this instance being provided with a, low-cut back configuration. The lower portion of the rear panel provides the seat of trunks, and terminates in spaced edges I3 forming the rear parts of leg openings and a central. tab I5 forming the rear portion of the crotch. The remainder of the trunk portion of the bathing suit is provided entirely by the intermediate part I2 which terminates in lower edge portions I6 providing the fronts of leg openings and an intermediate crotch tab II. The parts II and I2 are joined along vertical side seams I8 extending from top to bottom of the intermediate portion and a crotch seam I 9 extending laterally between the leg openings. The upper edge of the intermediate part terminates at the waistline, the same preferably comprising a whipped edge which is stitched to an elastic waistband 20 extending between the side seams I8. The width of the intermediate part I2 at the waistline is preferably the same as the width of the back panel II at the waistline. The front panel I0 extends from the upper portion of the bathing suit in an unbroken sweep to a lower'edge extending between the outer corners of the leg openings at the terminations of the side seams I8, being joined to the rear panel throughout their meeting edges at the sides of the garment and also joined to. the intermediate part I2 along thesideseams I 8. Other than at the side seams the front panel II] is entirely free from the intermediate part I2.

The garment is preferably formed of knitted goods with the ribbing of the goods running vertically in all three major parts. Therefore, any of the parts, or any portion of each of the parts, may stretch circumferentially to a greater extent than vertically. In the event of utilization of material other than knitted goods, and such material having a greater degree of stretchability in one direction, it is desired that that direction run circumferentially of the wearer. Therefore, when a person of large girth wears the suit, the material will give smoothly in a circumferential direction to accommodate the shape of the wearer. When a person having a long waist wears the suit a certain degree of elasticity will permit some stretching of the material in the vertical direction, but in the ordinary bathing suit there is not suflicient resiliency in this direction to prevent extreme tightness, particularly at the crotch. Also, in the case of shoulderless suits as herein illustrated, the top of the suit may be pulled downward so that the suit will not be supported in proper position In order that such a long-waisted wearer may be accommodated, the present invention provides the free, intermediate part forming the front of the trunks and the elastic waistband 28 at the top or" the intermediate part. The net result is that a long-waisted wearer will cause the front portion of the trunks to ride down on the body to a greater extent than would be the case when the same suit is worn by a short-waisted person. The front panel includes a lower portion forming a half skirt extending around the front of the wearer. Since the trunk portion is unattached to the half skirt except at the side seams, the entire front panel will lie smoothly across the body of the wearer regardless of the extent to which the trunk portion may be stretched or distorted to accommodate various physiques.

I have herein illustrated the suit in the form of a womans bathing suit including breast pockets25 attached to the upper edge of the front panel. The suit is also illustrated as a strapless, backless suit including a narrow supporting band to extend across the shoulderblades of the wearer, the band comprising a long strap 26 attached to the outer corner of one breast pocket, a short strap 21 attached to the outer corner of the opposed breast pocket, and a separable fastening device 28 for joining the two strap ends. It is to be appreciated, however, that the present inventionmay be utilized in other types of bath.- ing suits having other forms of supporting means at the upper end thereof, as, for example, the ordinary type of suit having shoulder straps passing from front to rear.

It is likewise to be appreciated that the exact shape of the trunks may vary to suit desires, the leg openings being illustrated in a modern style as extending obliquely upward from a central crotch portion, but longer leg portions may be provided on the trunks without departing from my invention. I prefer the arrangement of the various portions illustrated in order that symmetrical and inconspicuous side and crotch seams may be presented, but other patterns may result in the formation of suits having the desirable features pointed out in the claims. I claim as my invention all such modifications in detail and arrangement as come within the true spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A bathing suit comprising trunks, and a front panel secured to said trunks, 'said front panel including a skirt portion extending from side to side of the front of said trunks and attached thereto only at its side edges, and said trunks comprising an elastic waistband secured throughout its length to the upper edge of the front of said trunks and terminatinng at its side edges.

2. A bathing suit including trunks and consisting of three parts from front to rear, said parts being formed of knitted goods arranged to stretch to the greatest extent circumferentially of the wearer and comprising a rear part forming the back of the trunks, a front part including a skirt portion, and an intermediate part forming the front of the trunks, said intermediate part terminating at the waistline along its upper edge and being unsecured to said front part except along its side edges, and an elastic band stitched to the upper edge of said intermediate part.

3. A bathing suit including trunks and comprising a back part including a lower portion forming the back of the trunks, said back part providing the entire coverage for the back of the wearer, a front part including an upper bodyfitting portion and a lower skirt portion, said skirt portion and the lower portion of said back part being joined together at their side edges, and an intermediate part forming the front of the trunks, said intermediate part being joined to the lower portion of said back part along their side edges and at the crotch of the trunks and terminating at its upper edge along the waistline, and said front and intermediate parts being unsecured to each other except at their side edges whereby the bathing suit may accommodate wearers of various physiques.

4. Abathing suit including trunks and comprising a back piece, an intermediate piece and a front piece, all of said pieces being formed. of knitted goods wtih the ribbing thereof runnin vertically, said back piece being shaped to form the back of the trunks and said intermediate piece being shaped to form the front of said trunks, said back and intermediate pieces being joined together by side and crotch seams to provide said trunks and said front piece being secured to said trunks only along said side seams whereby the horizontal elasticity of said front piece is undisturbed by cross seams, and an elastic band secured to the upper edge of said intermediate piece and extending between said side seams.

5. A bathing suit including trunks and comprising a back part including a lower portion forming the back of the trunks, said back part providing the entire coverage for the back of the wearer, a front part including an upper bodyfitting portion and a lower skirt portion, said skirt portion and the lower portion of said back part being joined together at their side edges, and an intermediate part forming the front of the trunks, said intermediate part being joined to the lower portion of said back part along their side edges and at the crotch of the trunks and terminating at its upper edge along the waistline, said front and intermediate parts being unsecured to each other except at their side edges whereby the bathing suit may accommodate wearers of various physiques, all of said parts being formed of elastic material arranged to stretch to the greatest extent circumferentially of the wearer. l

' BETTE J. CHRISTENSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

